Brexit deal could take six years, says UK foreign minister

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has stressed the difficulties of leaving the European Union, saying that a Brexit agreement could take up to six years and that the country’s ability to negotiate trade agreements would be limited.

“The concern is this … if a future treaty between the U.K. and the EU-27 is deemed to be a mixed competence, it will have to be ratified by 27 national parliaments. I think I am right in saying the shortest time in which that has been done in any EU treaty is just under four years, and that is after taking into account the time it has taken to negotiate,” Hammond told parliamentarians on Tuesday, according to the Guardian.

The agreement to settle relations between the U.K. and the remaining 27 member countries after Brexit will not only concern trade — which is an EU-only competence — but will also cover other aspects of future EU-U.K. relations, such as security and foreign policy. It will therefore need to be ratified by all 27 parliaments.

Hammond also noted that Britain would face legal difficulties in negotiating trade agreements with non-EU countries. It has begun “preliminary” talks with India and has also announced that it will sound out post-Brexit arrangements with the U.S., China, South Korea and Japan.

“Until we have served an Article 50 notice, we remain a full, participating member of the EU and our ability to negotiate new trade agreements is restricted by the continued application of EU law until we have negotiated our exit from the EU,” Hammond told British MPs. “We have to tread a careful path having any preliminary negotiations but remain on the right side of our international obligations,” Hammond said.

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Maria Valentina Umer

Ya! the Brits dragging their feet after brexit. What´s new? They are neither IN nor OUT of the EU. They want to cherry-pick as always. And they want more time to ponder their mistakes regarding the EU. Opportunists!

Posted on 7/12/16 | 8:48 PM CEST

Maria Valentina Umer

Ya! the UK now wants trade with India, or other Asian nations, but it does not want to welcome their citizens in the UK as fully-empowered employees at a par with British ones. Britain has always diisdained its foreign workers, also from India, for decades, although the Indian immigrants did a lot for the lifestyle of the posh Brits. The Brits are a rabid folk! Their current stance towards the EU is only the latest example of it.

Posted on 7/12/16 | 9:05 PM CEST

Maria Valentina Umer

And who the hell is this British Foreign Minister? His name doesn´t appear in the international press, not even in the events of EU Summits. He appears to be one of these boys placed by the Tories due to connections.
What the hell has this man done in the current and past relations between the UK and the EU, not mention the USA and Russia? A young, inexperienced youth? Is this what British politics counts on? Frankly, the UK has lost all marbles. The UK seems to want only trade, trade, trade. It does not play a political role in the world worth the name! Very weak, indeed, the UK

Maria Valentina Umer

me

Woohoo, she’s on it tonight – you go Maria. Quadruple right off the bat.

Posted on 7/12/16 | 10:43 PM CEST

mike coyle

Maria, your vehement reaction to this pragmatic view from an experienced Britsh Foreign Minister, Philip Hammond in facing the Brexit situation after the vote is a reflection of the worrying problems within the European Institutions.

stéf

Good that’s that sorted out. I have no doubt he reads these comments :). Now lets sit back and wait for him to invoke Article 50… even though he can’t if he wants to… but anyway…

Posted on 7/13/16 | 11:10 AM CEST

David Maxwell

Six years is naively optimistic. 16 is more likely given the 40+ years of complexity – not just the trade deals, but all legal changes and associate trappings. It will take at least 2-5 years to be ready to action Article 50 as hundreds of negotiators will need to be recruited and trained otherwise we would be selling ourselves short . By then public opinion will have changed as will the EU and the UK will be no more. Politicians simply don’t have the skill-set to cope with human-based complexity. The political system desperately needs to adapt to the new reality.

Posted on 7/13/16 | 12:38 PM CEST

me

@David Maxwell

That’s alright – we’ll take advantage of the free movement of people to ship the expertise in :D.

Who’s going to be first. My money is on Maria. On you marks… get set… go.

Posted on 7/13/16 | 1:52 PM CEST

me

Conservative party is an efficient machine for power looks good Apart frow the fact UK gauges of the negotating infinitely weakened so press the button Article 50 if they are looking for a hard brexit though is the dificult choise

Posted on 7/13/16 | 6:36 PM CEST

Liz Slamon

Maria Valentina Umer, If you have ever been to the UK, your visit must have been spent in some quiet Village for from the maddening multicultural crowd, a huge portion of which is Asian. Probably less embarrassing for you if you commented about issues you have experience of?.